Language Learning in the Palm of Your Hand

Since their availability, audiovisual, multimedia, broadcast and technological devices have been used to promote language learning -to capture language samples, to provide access to authentic speech and material, to enhance worldwide communication, and the like. Likewise, as technologies continue to evolve, the tendency to shrink in size and become more portable is increasingly becoming a more than usual feature. Such portable media - referred to in popular and scholarly literature as mobile, wireless or handheld- include, among others, PDAs, cellular phones, MP3 players, digital dictionaries, etc.. Mobile learning or m-learning could be considered a subdivision of the e-learning initiatives promoted by formative programs and technological development worldwide. Focused on how students perceive mobile technology as an additional language learning practice, and what aspects of their learning were aided by the use of mobile devices, this paper outlines an analysis in progress aimed to explore some of the benefits and challenges for language learning through mobile technology.